Sorry I'm Late
by dinkleberg
Summary: A night under the stars sparks a feeling Cloud never realized had existed. Cloud/Tifa, oneshot.


**Sorry I'm Late  
><strong>_a Cloud/Tifa oneshot_

The stars had never looked so bright. Maybe it was because he had been away for too long. Maybe it was because he hadn't bothered looking up at the sky at night—maybe he had forgotten to, after all that time, trying to look for forgiveness… _absolution_.

Now, he couldn't tear his eyes away from them. He had missed this—just sitting there, leaning against Tifa's back and just looking up, taking in everything around him, bit by bit. It was… calming, to say the least.

But most of all, he had missed Tifa. It never occurred to him, despite all that fighting—hopefully for the last time—in Midgar with the remnants, that even though he had been trying to receive forgiveness from Aerith, he had also been secretly afraid of losing—his confidence, that battle… and his best friend.

Cloud let out a sigh—of relief? Or was it nervousness that was bothering him? He never was one for words—let alone articulate his feelings—but he supposed he would have to try. Aerith would kill him, he thought, if he didn't at least _try_.

'We haven't done this in a while,' Tifa said contentedly. 'It's nice.'

'Yeah,' he said, 'It is.'

They sat like that for a while longer in companionable silence. Cloud inwardly wished that this wouldn't end too quickly—he noticed that things had a habit of speeding up when he was finally enjoying himself on rare occasions—and glanced at Tifa, wondering if she had ever felt the same way… with him.

He hadn't felt like this ever since Aerith—and he had never thought that he would. Maybe Barret would tell him that it was only a matter of time, but it had been so long, the thought had never actually crossed Cloud's mind.

'Hey, Cloud?'

He nearly jumped at the sound of her voice. 'Yeah,' he responded, and felt her move so that they were now sitting side by side.

'Do you miss her?'

Cloud no longer felt the same sinking feeling every time someone brought up the subject of Aerith, but he couldn't deny it. He did miss her, almost every single night—or every time it rained.

'Yeah,' he replied, 'But… it doesn't hurt anymore.'

'Good,' Tifa said, 'She'd worry if she knew you were still… so sad.'

'I didn't know it was that obvious,' Cloud muttered, smiling slightly.

Tifa shrugged. 'I knew you more than the others did,' she pointed out, 'I knew you even if you didn't show any expression most of the time.'

Cloud let out a soft laugh. She did, didn't she? They had been friends for as long as he could remember. He slowly reached out for her hand and squeezed it. He felt her hand twitch slightly in surprise, but she didn't pull away, to his relief. Tifa squeezed his, and they both looked at each other.

'I've moved on, you know,' Cloud said suddenly, 'It's been such a long time.'

Tifa smiled at him, and then looked back up at the sky. 'Wonderful view,' she commented, trying to ignore the rapid rate at which her heart was beating.

Cloud could see her cheeks starting to redden, and felt the sudden urge to just laugh as he kept his eyes on her.

'Yeah, it is.'

Tifa turned back to Cloud and was surprised to find him still looking at her, with his blue eyes filled with a sort of curiosity and perhaps even… anxiety. What was he worried about? He always had this strange look on his face every time their eyes met—sometimes it was like this, other times it was almost as though he was trying to figure something out with those probing, sensitive eyes of his.

She never really understood some parts of him, but she never pursued it—she knew he wouldn't like it much, and instead kept to gazing into his eyes. She never really hid her affection for him—it was Cloud that never really noticed in the first place.

This time, he could finally see it. It was what Barret was always talking to him about whenever the guy could, saying things like, 'You need to open your eyes!' or 'I know you know, so just do something about it!'

They were hardly cryptic to Cloud, but he had ignored them. Now… now he could see it for himself, and it was striking… and beautiful. It was refreshing and new, but yet something familiar at the same time. It made him feel a little lighter—a little happier and a little safer in her eyes.

It felt almost like Aerith, but it wasn't. They were different from each other. And he didn't want to compare them both.

He just wanted to kiss her.

'Cloud?' Tifa murmured, a little confused at the look he was giving her. Her eyes widened, and he swore he could see her brown eyes twinkling; the stars clear in her eyes just as they were in the sky.

He just wanted to kiss her—so he did. Cloud leaned in, for the second time in his life, and gently pressed his lips to Tifa's.

He felt like his heart was going to burst at any minute, and he desperately wished she wouldn't pull away. He was too close—too close to let anything break it apart again. He hadn't realized he was still holding her hand until he felt her squeeze it as he leaned in, if only to try and kiss her a little harder and he pulled her gently towards him.

Tifa snaked her free arm around his neck and lost herself in the kiss, hardly believing that it was actually happening.

Cloud ran his hand through her hair and caressed her cheek as they slowly—yet reluctantly—pulled away from each other, clearly intoxicated with her. It was like she had finally filled up a part of his soul—one which he never realized was missing in the first place—and it felt like home to him.

'Tifa,' Cloud said, leaning in and pressing his forehead against hers.

'Yeah?' breathed Tifa.

'Sorry I'm late.'


End file.
